This postcard portrait is from at least half a century later, but the woman's bonnet is surprisingly little changed in design. Comparison with a wonderful selection of late 19th century portraits at the Cabinet Card Gallery (here and here) confirmed my suspicion that the bonnet worn by the woman at centre indentifies her as being a supporter of the "soup, soap and salvation" brigade. I don't mean to be either flippant or derogatory; that is how founder William Booth himself described The Salvation Army's approach to meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the poor.

The tiny badge at her throat is just identifiable as The Salvation Army's well known red shield, still in use as their emblem in fundraising activities today. The New Zealand Salvation Army web site gives the following history of their distinctive uniform:

By 1880, a standardised Salvation Army navy blue serge uniform was introduced. Men wore high neck tunics with stiff collars over scarlet jerseys. Women wore long navy skirts and close fitting high neck tunics with white lace-edge collars. Catherine Booth chose black straw bonnets for the women to wear that were cheap, durable and protective. A band of black silk and strings formed the trimmings, and later a red band was added with 'Salvation Army' on it.

Uniforms have changed over the years to suit changing styles as well as culture and climate. Up until recently, women continued to wear a smaller version of the Victorian bonnet. Most countries around the world are now adopting the less-expensive felt bowler hat. An open-neck jacket also replaced the high-collar tunics.

I had hoped that developments in uniform styles might aid in dating the portrait sitting, but I don't think they've changed enough to narrow down the date range any more than one can with other aspects of the photograph.

The postcard format printed on the reverse, for example, is not marked with any photographer's studio, but is of a style commonly used by many studios from the mid-1910s until the early 1930s (see examples from Derbyshire photographers: Pollard Graham, Type 38, F. Holbrook, W.N. Statham and E.M. Treble).

The two girls in the portrait are not junior Salvationists but, I believe, Girl Guides. According to Wikipedia:

Girls were attracted to Scouting from its inception in 1907 ... In 1909, Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, decided that girls should not be in the same organisation as the boys, and the Girl Guides were founded in the UK in 1910.

I was fortunate to find this photograph of a parade in which girl guides displayed a complete range of uniforms used between 1910 and 1970. Although there were, no doubt, innumerable regional variations the girls in the postcard portrait apopear to be dressed most similarly to the 1910 model. Geoff Caulton has a very interesting page on Girl Guide uniforms on his PhotoDetective web site, demonstrating several useful dating pointers which reinforce my feeling that our girls are from roughly 1910-1920ish.

The two decades between the World Wars saw a swift rise in the popularity of the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts. Princess Mary became President of the Association in 1920, and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret as a Guide and Brownie respectively in 1937, which must have enhanced the appeal of the organisation tremendously. Kodak Ltd even produced a Girl Guide Kodak camera from 1931 to 1935. This small portrait of my aunt pictures her in a later girl guide uniform from the mid-1940s. Unfortunately the image is not distinct enough for me to discern the design on the badge, which would indicate the name of her troop.

Lastly, I'd like to highlight another feature of the postcard portrait, even though it's not much use for dating purposes. Vignetting is the term used to describe the deliberate masking out of the margins of a photographic portrait, often leaving an oval-shaped frame with blurred edges around the central figure. This was used by studios from the earliest days of carte de visite prints in the 1860s, the borders usually being lighter than the photograph. From the late 1890s and early 1900s, a variation of this technique produced a dark horizontal band on the lower edge of the portrait, appearing in front of the subject, as in the mid-1920s portrait above. Use of this feature in studio portraits was most common throught the 1910s and 1920s, after which it just as suddenly faded from popularity.

I always learn so much from your posts!I found your information on the Salvation Army interesting. When my father was born he was wrapped in the Salvation Army flag and we held his funeral at his local Salvation Army hall. My sister is a vicar and has a friend in the Salvation Army who ran the service for us. I do admire the work they do!JackieScrapbangwallop

You have amazing knowledge about these topics! My 3x great uncle William Cruickshank and his wife became Salvos after they emigrated from Scotland to Invercargill in 1863, and they billeted General William Booth each time he visited Invercargill.

Brett, my parents were SA officers in Alaska, and I grew up in that church. You are right about the soap, soup, and salvation quote. William and Catherine Booth started their Christian Mission (which later became The Salvation Army [the "T" is always capitalized in "The", BTW]) in London's East Side. They fast realized that it was useless to help someone spiritually if their physical needs were not met.

I'm not sure I should have replied above. Sorry for the faux-pas. This post is excellent and again I've learned a lot. I have a lot of respect for The Salvation Army who came to the aid of some of my relatives when they first immigrated to Canada.

Ah, memories - I was a girl guide in the 1970s but my uniform was different to those in the parade. I must go look up the photos.Often Salvation Army, Fire Brigade or Church people would be the ones who ran the scouts and guides in a country town - was where I came from.

I spotted The Salvation Army bonnet on first glance before I read your excellent analysis, Brett. Their brass bands often feature in many of the musical photos and cards I look for, and the bands frequently mix men and women. Figuring out the dates on scouting uniforms is an interesting variation on dating military uniforms.

I thought it strange, that my memory of the hat in my post was exactly like the Salvation Army bonnet --- that is until I really looked at my photo. Thankfully, you posr was more instructive and helpful. I also loved the shinning smile of Barbara Payne -- just what one would expect of a Girl Guide of that era. Thanks

Very interesting info and photos relating to the Salvation Army, and to know that it's international history. Thanks for all the dating tips on the photos, and a special thanks for visiting my blog on my return to Sepia Saturday.

Wow, you taught me some fascinating information. I had no idea that last photo was anything but a mistake. I've seen images like this and just assumed that something had gone wrong. Do you know if the dark area was ever used for text of some sort? I would imagine it was a good place to adhere labels.

I haven't seen anyone in a Salvation Army uniform in so very long. I do go to a rehab center where they have multiple shops full of stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Never any photos...just stuff. It used to be much better before ebay. Now the good stuff leaves long before I get a chance to sort.

T+L - I've seen enough examples of this effect to be pretty sure that it was intentional, even though it looks a little bizarre to our modern eyes. I can't recall ever having seen the area used for text, though.

I never made it to Guides. I was sacked in Brownies. I was the Seconder to my best friend the Sixer of the Pixies. I loved Brownies - walking on tin cans...walking around mirrors (pools) in garden beds chanting songs...what's not to like? Love that last photo - it's so clear, she could step out of the photo.

The Sally Army Still Marches Strongly Today.I have a couple of friends who are active here in Halifax.People just accept the uniform (& in a strange way,it has become "invisible" because it is so well recognised) But times change (can you imagine setting up any new religious organisation today that had a paramilitary uniform attached!)And,of course, many organisations use military-referenced clothes to add a "professional Bearing"to the work they do.eg Nurses;Traffic Wardens; and so on.Even School Uniforms would probably come into this catagory.The people in your photograph look so sweet & gentle. History would have been very different had it been The Salvation Army who had marched into Tiananmen Square in 1989 or Hungary in 1956!